


The most important people

by bookl0ver



Series: Ben Mitchell Week 2020 [3]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Ben Mitchell Week 2020, Crying, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27710393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookl0ver/pseuds/bookl0ver
Summary: Day three of Ben Mitchell Week 2020"So none of it was real? You didn’t mean any of it?"
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Ben Mitchell Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024476
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	The most important people

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking! 
> 
> Warnings: Use of offensive language (whore), Swearing, Arguing around children. Slight fear of abandonment. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“How dare you, you bastard! My heart is broken because of you and your lies!” 

“If you were half the man he was I wouldn’t have needed to go elsewhere would I?” 

Lexi froze behind the closed kitchen door, her doll drooping in her hand. Daddy and Cal's voices were echoing, loud and angry. Something heavy sat in her throat and she clutched the doll closer to her. Cal had bought her this doll, it was her favourite. 

The last time Daddy and Cal had been like this, shouting and angry, Callum had left and Daddy had been sad.

The voices continued, Lexi certain that they were saying bad words that they’d agreed not to say around her. 

“You fucking lying whore, I hate you! Get out, get out!” 

Lexi flinched as the shouting grew, and made her decision. Her mum always told her to stay out of adult business, but she couldn’t let this happen again. 

She couldn’t let her daddy be so upset, they needed Cal. 

“NO! CALLUM DON’T GO!” She screamed as she barged into the kitchen, running to throw herself at Callum’s feet, tangling her body around him so that he couldn’t move. “Daddy didn’t mean it, whatever he said he didn’t mean it!” 

Callum stumbled at the force with which his legs were trapped, catching himself against the counter. He opened his mouth to speak but Ben beat him to it.

“Lexi? Princess, what’s the matter?” Ben asked gently, kneeling down to be level with his daughter, who buried herself into Callum’s legs. 

“You were shouting at him daddy,” She said, tears falling down her cheeks and muffling her voice slightly. “You told him to go!” 

Ben’s face fell and he glanced up at Callum, who looked equally aghast and concerned. Slow, so Lexi didn’t become any more wound up, Ben pried at her arms until she released Callum’s legs, and turned her to look at him. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry, you weren’t supposed to hear that.” 

Ben’s stomach tightened as Lexi’s face crumpled and she began to sob in earnest, clutching Ben’s shirt with one hand and hugging Callum’s leg with the other. “You can’t leave us Callum, please don’t go again! Daddy will be sad, and I’ll be sad, please Callum don’t go, please.” 

Callum pressed his hand to Lexi’s hair, softly stroking the blonde strands in an attempt to soothe her. “It’s okay Lex, I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” 

The guilt burned hot at the thought that their last breakup and arguments had affected Lexi so badly. Ben couldn’t believe he had failed to notice how much it must have impacted her. 

“Oh sweetheart, calm down please, it’s okay.” He tried again, tilting her face up to him and brushing away her tears. Tears, on his little girl’s face, put there by him and his idiocy. “Daddy and Callum weren’t fighting, darling.” 

“What?” Lexi hiccupped, finally opening her eyes to look at her father, blue eyes like a reflection. 

“Baby, do you remember Cal and I go out every Tuesday evening?” Lexi nodded. “Do you remember where we go?” Lexi pursed her lips in thought for a long moment, before shaking her head, sending blonde hair whipping everywhere. One of her plaits smacked against Callum’s thigh, the hard heart decoration on her bobble connecting painfully and making him wince. Ben slid his free hand to soothe the spot, keeping his focus on Lexi. 

“We go to a theatre company, Lex, and do some acting. Like playing princesses or superheroes, but with other grown ups.” 

“I know what acting is, Daddy.” Lexi pouted, Ben grinning at the sarky response. She was his kid alright. Callum chuckled fondly and patted her head again, wondering if there was any way for him to free his leg from its eight year old captor without disturbing the moment before pins and needles set in. 

“Of course you do sweetheart, sorry. Well, me and Callum got given parts for a proper performance. And we were practicing them. That’s why we were shouting darling, because we were pretending to be angry, like our characters.” 

Realisation dawned on Lexi’s face and she gasped excitedly. “So none of it was real? You didn’t mean any of it? It was all just acting?” 

Ben nodded, heart thudding with relief as Lexi finally smiled. “Yes, that’s my clever girl. We thought you were watching your show Lexi, or we wouldn’t have done it where you could hear us.” 

“Uh, Lex,” Callum’s voice caused father and daughter to look up, craning their necks to see Callum’s slightly pink face. “Could you let go of my leg please darling? You’re holding on very tight.” 

Instantly Lexi let go, stepping back and holding her arms up. Obligingly, Callum scooped her up, settling her on his hip as she wrapped her arms around his torso. Ben rose to stand beside them, eyes teary as they so often were whenever he saw his boyfriend and daughter interact with so much love and tenderness. 

“Lexi,” He started, reaching out to take her from Callum, holding her close as her head drooped with a yawn. Crying always made her tired, and she’d been really going for it. Ben had never seen her so distraught before and it broke his heart that he hadn’t noticed how much his relationship was impacting her. “Hey, Princess, you wanna have a nap?” She nodded, burying her face in Ben’s neck. 

Ben made his way up to her bedroom, Callum following behind. Lexi was already in her pyjamas, it being a Friday afternoon and their dedicated movie night this evening, so he simply slid her into bed. He perched on the edge, Callum kneeling beside him, both holding one of her tiny, precious hands. 

“Lexi, I want you to know that I am so sorry.” Ben began, feeling a lump form in his throat, but he swallowed it down. However hard this was for him to admit he knew how important it was for a child to hear their parent acknowledge they were wrong and apologise. “For frightening you by shouting, for not explaining to you what happened when Callum went away last time, for not seeing how upset you were. I’m your dad, it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re okay.” 

“It’s okay daddy,” She yawned, snuggling further into her duvet. Her lashes fluttered as she fought to keep her eyes open. She was the most beautiful, perfect thing on this planet, Ben was sure. “You can just get me lots of sweets to make up for it.” 

That had both men laughing, Ben shaking his head as Lexi opened her eyes properly and pulled her hand from Callum’s to give him a high-five, their lessons in getting what they want from Ben paying off. 

“And Lex,” Callum said softly, amusement still colouring his features even as his voice was laden with sincerity. Wasn’t it always? “I love you, sweetheart. I promise I’m never just going to go, or leave you. Even if one day daddy and I did break up, you’ll never lose me, I promise you.” 

“Pinky promise?” 

Callum smiled gently, letting her entwine one tiny pinky around his own. “Pinky promise.” 

“Get some rest princess, we’ll wake you up before dinner. And don’t worry about us, I’m never letting Callum go. He isn’t allowed to leave us, is he?”

“No...” Lexi’s voice trailed off, her eyelids heavy. She curled in around the teddy bear that Ben had slipped beside her, the one she had named Cally, because it was warm and soft and cuddly like Callum, but she was definitely a girl. “No, he’s not.” Within seconds snores filled the dimly lit room, Lexi’s nightlight emitting a soft glow to help the two men avoid decapitating any Barbie dolls or destroying Lego houses with their feet as they made their way out of the bedroom. 

They returned to the kitchen, Callum fixing them both a cup of tea whilst Ben pondered. He couldn’t believe how upset Lexi had been, how devastated at the idea of Callum leaving them. Whilst he knew logically that his little girl loved Callum almost as much as he did, and that that love was returned, the display of it had overwhelmed him.

“Hey,” Callum said, placing Ben’s mug in front of him, planting a kiss on his forehead before sinking into the seat opposite. “Don’t start doubting yourself, okay?” 

Ben scoffed, staring into the tea as though it would give him answers. “I didn’t even notice how affected she clearly is by everything that’s happened Cal. How scared she is, how much she loves you. What kind of father doesn’t notice those things?” 

“Ben." Reluctantly, he met Callum’s gaze, those beautiful eyes pinning him in place. “You’re only human. She’s had a lot to deal with, with Jay and Lola splitting, and the house changes, and me moving in here, being separated from me over lockdown. She’s your daughter Ben, she hides how she feels exactly like you do, behind sass and sarcasm and wit. You couldn’t have known.” His arm stretched out, big fingers wrapping over Ben’s. “What matters is that you know now. _We_ know now, and we will make sure she’s safe and happy and secure okay? Us, together.” 

“I really don’t deserve you,” Ben smiled, tears rolling down his face at the soft words. 

“Yes you do.” Callum laughed. The phrase was practically embedded into Ben’s speech pattern, even though he knew – hoped – that his boyfriend understood that it wasn’t true. “You’re such a good man, Ben. A good man, a good boyfriend, a good dad.” He paused, before a grin cracked across his lips. “And we’re both pretty good actors apparently.” 

Ben joined in the laughter, thankful for the distraction from the way his heart felt like it was going to burst, and picked up the script that had been abandoned on the table. “Wanna get some more rehearsal in, now we’ve not got an audience?” 

Callum nodded enthusiastically and scooted his chair around so he could see the script too, as they launched into the first scene, getting swept up in the moment. Later, they could discuss how they were going to help Lexi feel better, and prevent anything like this happening again, but for now, they were content to just be, practising their lines and laughing when they messed up. 

And in the back of Ben’s head Callum’s words echoed; a good dad. He hadn’t been, and that was on him. But he was going to put everything into changing that. To be the father his little girl deserved, to be as good as Callum thought he was. He wasn’t going to be complacent. For the people he loved, he would strive to be better. 

For them.

**Author's Note:**

> This was slightly inspired by artsyleo's Stage Lights AU. I really love the idea of Ben and Callum as actors because of them and their fics.
> 
> I wasn't sure where to go with this prompt so I hope you liked it, feel free to let me know what you thought in the comments, they're always appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, have a great day!


End file.
